Darkness Rises
by ZeldaIsSheik
Summary: Somewhere far into the land of Beyond the Beyond lays a forest so thick, they call it The Beyond. But in the very center of this gargantuan mess of oak and birch is a massive clearing, big enough to hold three clans of cats. These clans are SunClan, StormClan and TreeClan. Join Cloudchaser on an adventure to defeat the darkness of the ancient prophecy and save the clans forever!
1. A New Warrior

**CHAPTER 1**

It was a cold, blister morning and Cloudpaw could feel the wind buffeting his fur. He couldn't help but wonder when the terrible grip of leaf-bare would recede. It had been five moons since his apprenticeship, and his warrior ceremony was later that day. Most apprentices dream of their warrior ceremony, but Cloudpaw had not. He knew that it would mean waking up earlier; which he did not like.

"Cloudpaw, it's almost time for your warrior ceremony! Are you excited?" Cloudpaw nodded at his mother, Silvertail's boisterous question. _I guess I'm a little excited_ , he thought. What was he thinking? Of course he was excited! It was the first time he could really help his clan succeed! Just the thought of a ferocious battle with TreeClan on the border between their territory. All apprentices knew that StormClan -Cloudpaw's clan- was one of the three clans of the clearing. They lived in a huge clearing in the middle of a thick forest known as 'The Beyond.' They all got chills just thinking of it. But not Cloudpaw. His heart raced with vigor each time he thought of the unexplored wall of trees that made up the border of the clearing that all three clans shared.

Cloudpaw's dark grey pelt allowed him to blend in with the rocky mountains that sprung out of the ground in StormClan territory. His pelt was a mixture of blue and gray, but his eyes were as yellow as the sun. He had never met anyone from another clan, but he had heard of them. He knew that StormClan took after it's name; they were fast and sneaky, but grumpy just as much. Small mountains dotted their massive territory. Their camp was in a large riverbed, carved out of a mountain by an ancient river. TreeClan was the clan that bordered them to the left. They lived in a forest -not near as thick as The Beyond- and excelled at hunting. There was no better clan to limb trees; they even lived in a large tree known as the 'Great Tree.'

Every cat knew of the third clan. They were as friendly to StormClan as a cat is to it's next meal. They lived on flat, exposed moorland under the full sun. They lived in a ravine that had been carved deep into the ground; most likely created by twoleg monsters. They had visited and cut the ravine out centuries ago.

A loud voice came from the High Ledge, breaking through. Cloudpaw's thoughts. "Will all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the High Ledge for a clan meeting." Cloudpaw looked up to see Stormstar standing on the High Ledge, a stone ledge handing above the camp. It was the highest point in the camp, and was where the leader slept. Stormstar's den was carved into the rock behind the High Ledge.

Cloudpaw stood before the High Ledge, his tail held high. He was about to become a full Warrior! "Cloudpaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code, even at the cost of your life?" Cloudpaw nodded. "I do." "Then by the power invested in me by StarClan, I give you your warrior name." There was a long pause, and then she continued; "From now on, you shall be known as Cloudchaser. Wear your warrior name with pride! May you server our clan for many years." Stormstar leaped down from the Great Ledge and put her tail on Cloudchaser's shoulder. He then brought his nose to her shoulder, finishing the ceremony. _Cloudchaser! Cloudchaser!_ The whole clan chanted with pride for this new warrior. Cloudchaster could see his mother in the front of the gathering, her face swelling with pride. Silvertail began to cry.

'Cloudpaw-chaser, you're…" She ran up to him to touch noses. Cloudchaser had become a warrior at last. But that was only the beginning of his story. As this ew battle-ready warrior was appointed by his leader, a new darkness was formed. It was time for the prophecy of the ancient cats to begin.


	2. Branchkit!

**CHAPTER 2**

It had been four moons since Cloudchaser's warrior ceremony, and he had already fought in clan wars. With the borders between StormClan and SunClan insecure, they had no choice but to send out triple patrols. Today was Cloudchaser's turn to lead a patrol by the SunClan border- oh wait, it always was.

Cloudchaser padded out of his den, shaking the sleep from his eyes. He stepped down the cool rocks that led up to the warrior's den. He had never been outside of StormClan territory, except for when they had raided SunClan's camp. Despite their good reputation, SunClan could be a force to be reckoned with when met with opposing forces. They have been known to be the cause of many border skirmishes and arguments over prey.

It was sunhigh, and the patrol had gathered by the entrance to the stone caves they used as the StormClan camp. With a flick of his tail, Cloudchaser motioned for the patrol to pass through the thickets guarding the entrance. The patrol consisted of Cloudchaser, Raggedpelt, Twigpaw, Stormpaw and Whiteclaw- the clan deputy. In StormClan, it was a custom to name kits after the clan name. It signified the importance of keeping the clan together. Although a custom, most new kits were named by their mother's choosing. Only a handful of kits per generation were named Stormkit.

"We need to be careful of rogues; Stormstar seems to think there are prey-stealers loose in our territory." Cloudchaser agreed with Whiteclaw's warning. A lot of prey had gone missing, with no explanation. It seemed that the only possibility was that a band of rogues were stealing their food.

As they were patrolling the borders, Cloudchaser noticed a quiver run through a large bush. _But that's our side of the territory!_ Cloudchaser was sure that this quiver was caused by a cat from another clan. Without thinking, he pounced, breaking apart the brambles that made up the thick bush. In doing this, he revealed a helpless kit crying inside of the bush. The Warrior Code was the code that all clan cats lived by, and that code demanded that kits be treated properly. Cloudchaser picked up the kit by the scruff and set it down in front of Whiteclaw. It seemed to be no more than two moons old.

"Please don't hurt me! I-I lost my home… Lilyheart! Where is my mother? I'm sorry for wandering off. Please let me go!" The kit was so frantic, that Cloudchaser could barely figure out what it was saying. "Calm down, kit. Tell us where you are from," Whiteclaw's voice was warm and sweet. The kit calmed down.

"I c-c-come from t-t-TreeClllllan. Brrrrr," The icy snow that came during the worst of leafbare had begun to fall. As soon as the kit was able to talk, a mighty blizzard appeared out of nowhere. "Whiteclaw, take the patrol home! I _have_ to save this kit!" Out of the blizzard, Cloudchaser could make out the shape of Whiteclaw. With a nod, he ran off, the rest of the patrol following close behind him.

"What's y-your name?" The kit asked. "It's Cloudchaser. And don't worry, you'll be okay." The kit nodded. "My n-n-name is Branchk-kit." _Branchkit._ Cloudchaser had a feeling deep inside himself that this kit would have something to do with saving the entire clearing. With this feeling deep inside of him, he leaped into the snow.

After about ten minutes of running, Cloudchaser could feel Branch kit getting colder. He had stopped to get him a dry moss wrap to warm him up. It would not be long before Branchkit needed another one. Suddenly, a foul stench came upon him. _TreeClan!_ Cloudchaser noticed Branchkit smile, and thought he could smell it to. Once they had crossed the border, the camp was not too far. But a blanket of white covered them, and Cloudchaser could not see.

Out of all of the white, he noticed a bright orange cat with yellow eyes in front of him. "Follow me, Cloudstar." Cloudchaser wanted to tell him he was not a leader, but the cat took off. He followed as fast as he could, until the cat disappeared behind a tree. Cloudchaser realized what it was. "That's my home! Lilyheart! I smell my mother!" Cloudchaser noticed that there were many levels to this camp. The ground held the medicine den, the nursery, the freshkill pile and the Leader's den. The warriors' and apprentices' dens were in a huge oak tree that grew out of the center of the camp.

Lilyheart was scrambling around frantically, worried for her lost child. "Oh, have you seen Branchkit? Please?" But no one knew where her beloved kit was. Just when she was about to cry, she heard Oakstar call from the clan entrance; "Cats arriving!" Lilyheart watched as a grey tom with a kit in his mouth walk through the entrance. Then, she noticed who the kit was. "Branchkit!"

Cloudchaser walked up to the she-cat. "Lilyheart! It's y-y-you!" Lilyheart took her kit by the scruff and wrapped him in her warm fur. _Where had the orange cat gone?_ Cloudchaser still did not know what could have become of the cat that had led him here.

"Oh, thank you- Uhm," "Cloudchaser" Lilyheart thanked him, and with a nod, ran into the nursery. But the orange cat who had called him 'star' was not there.


	3. Dapplefrond's Arrival

**CHAPTER 3**

Cloudchaser's arrival was met with both scowl and smile. It had all happened so fast. He had simply returned a lost and frozen kit to it's home. But that was not why he was met with these faces. In the clearing, TreeClan and StormClan were allies, but they rarely ever visited each other. A clan barging into another's camp was simply unheard of. _But I returned their kit!_ Oakstar padded forward to greet Cloudchaser and bowed in submission.

"Thank you for returning my son. How can I repay you? Please stay a while," Oakstar was insistent that Cloudchaser accept his praise. _So Branchkit is the leader's son_ , thought Cloudchaser. His gaze shifted towards Lilyheart, who had padded up to stand beside her mate. Her eyes were gleaming with thanks.

"Branchkit was climbing the Great Tree with his friends when he suddenly disappeared," Lilyheart seemed to wince as she recalled the tragic event, "Barkkit and Salmonkit came to Oakstar and said that Branchkit had fallen out of camp. We looked all around, but we could not find him." Cloudchaser pondered within himself if he should reveal what Branchkit was really doing. _No. Scared kits say things they don't mean. Maybe he didn't sneak out of camp._

"I'm sorry Lilyheart. I promise not to do that again. I kept jumping from branch to branch, but I didn't realize that the trees led away from camp. Soon enough we could barely see the camp, and I was scared," Branchkit flinched, remembering the terrible event, "Salmonkit said we should go back to camp, but Barkkit said that we should explore more. They were fighting over what we should do when I slipped from the branch and fell into the snow. I smelled cats, so I followed the scent line into a stone place with no trees. I didn't know cats could smell _that_ bad! I kept on walking until I heard pawsteps coming toward me. I hid in a bramble bush, and then you f found me," Branchkit's monologue had concluded.

Lilyheart nodded her head, agreeing with Branchkit's tale. _Is he protecting Salmonkit and Barkkit?_ Salmonkit and Barkkit were each three moons older than Branchkit, and were teaching him how to do what the cats of TreeClan called branching. Branching was when cats leaped from branch to branch, usually to catch prey.

Oakstar spoke up, "Well, that makes sense. I don't doubt that your friends wanted to teach you branching. After all, your Skynest ceremony is tomorrow," Branchkit squealed with excitement. Oakstar turned his gaze to Cloudchaser and continued, "In TreeClan, kits get to move to the sky nursery when they are three moons old. The sky nursery is a place high in the trees where kits sleep at night, unless they are too young to climb. Branchkit turns three moons old tomorrow, and Lilyheart will be able to move up with him."

Salmonkit's eyes gleamed with pride. _If Branchkit turns three moons tomorrow, I will be six moons! I can be an apprentice!_ Salmonkit remembered that Barkkit would have to wait a few weeks longer. He was slightly younger than Salmonkit, and could not be an apprentice until he was six moons old.

Cloudchaser padded towards the entrance to leave, but soon realized that he could not leave. He had to stay- at least for the night. The blizzard had not slowed down, and if it weren't for the thick canopy of trees above it, the camp would be multiple tail lengths under snow. This canopy was where everyone but the medicine cats and young kits slept. It's floor rose a few fox lengths above the ground, sheltering the camp from most of the snow. _I can see why they're called TreeClan._ Without another word, Cloudchaser followed the bold leader into the canopy and chose the den next to the entrance. He closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

Cloudstar woke with a start, a sharp pain stabbing his side. _I could never get used to this_ , he thought. His den was made up of soft leaves and goose feathers. The only problem was the prickly brambles that lined the walls. He kept rolling into them as he slept. He looked down at his pelt to see sharp brambles -not bloody- piercing through his pelt.

"Sleep well, Cloudstar?" A new voice broke the daze that nodded Cloudchaser to sleep. With a shock, he recognised the orange cat who had led him to the clan.

"You're the cat who led me here! You saved my life and Branchkit's as well." The cat blinked, revealing no emotion. Then, it smiled, "My name is Dapplefrond. I was the medicine cat for TreeClan long ago." Dapplefrond spoke with a soothing voice that could only belong to a cat with kindness in her paws. She motioned for Cloudchaser to follow her outside of camp.

After they had walked for a while, Dapple frond spoke up; "Cloudstar, I was wondering if-"

"My name is Cloudchaser." There was a long pause before Dapplefrond began to speak again. A saddened look spawned somewhere in the golden eyes she bore, "Ah, yes. Oh course. You wouldn't know of me," Dapplefrond's voice was no more than a whisper. Cloudchaser couldn't help but know why she was so sad all of the sudden.

"Dapplefrond, what's the matter? You seem sad." She looked at him with a stern look, something colder than the ice under Cloudchaser's paws. "Well, maybe I thought my son would recognise me."


	4. A Tale of Three

**CHAPTER 4**

Shock grasped Cloudchaser like claws of thick ice. The mysterious cat who had led him into the TreeClan camp was not only a medicine cat, but was his mother. "What? But Silvertail is my mother!" Dapplefrond looked down at her paws. Cloudchaser knew that there was something she was keeping from him, "Tell me."

After a few minutes, Dapplefrond spoke. But she spoke this time with a voice of excitement, not of sadness; "It had been three moons since your birth-"

"From the beginning. I want to hear _everything_ ," Dapplefrond knew that Cloudchaser was not going to settle for anything less that the truth. "It was many seasons ago," she began, "and I had just been made a warrior. At first I hunted well, but there was something odd about me. I had the strange ability to just disappear. I would sneak out of camp, and no one seemed to even see me. I once stepped right over the SunClan border in front of a patrol, but they just walked right past me. It seemed that no one could see me… But her

"Flamemoon was a well-respected medicine cat, who had been the oldest cat in camp before I was even kitted. TreeClan needed another medicine cat. One day I was wondering around in SunClan territory and exploring, when I saw her appear from a shrub across the border. 'What are you doing over there' she had said. I ignored her, figuring she too did not notice me. But she did.

"A SunClan patrol came by, not knowing what was going on. It was then that Flamemoon first noticed my special ability. As long as I let myself fade into the background, I could do anything I wanted. She said that only special cats are born with special powers, and that only a handful of cats had ever had them. She told me that Warriors could have powers too. 'Countless moons ago, before the clans were formed, there was a ferocious battle in which the three cats of legend fearlessly defeated the darkness oppressing the forest. They each had a special power of their own. The cunning Jay, peaceful Dove and ferocious Lion.' This is the legend of the three.

"She told me that one was a medicine cat, and the other two were Warriors. O that means Warriors can have powers too."

Cloudchaser's head was spinning with thoughts. He couldn't help but wonder why she was telling him this, "But what does all of this have to do with me?" Flamemoon looked him straight in the eye, her gaze balanced with his. "Because you have one of these powers."

Cloudchaser froze. He had no idea what this power could be, or why he had one. After he had thought about it for a while, he realized that it all made sense to him. "You disappeared thought the entrance using you power. But I can see you!" Flamemoon nodded, a glint in her eyes.

"Those yellow eyes are good for more than seeing the unseen." Cloudchaser realized the meaning of this right away. _My eyes! The power is with my eyes!_


	5. Cloudchaser's Storm

**CHAPTER 5**

 _It must be something to do with my eyes!_

"But that is not the reason why I am here," Dapplefrond padded closer to her son, Cloudchaser. She had just revealed that they each had a special power inherited from the ancient cats of the prophecy, "I came to tell you the truth of Branchkit." Cloudchaser felt every bone in his body lock up with shock. _So I was meant to save him. I did the right thing_ , Cloudchaser thought. "He has a power too. One I can not understand. But you have the power to see the truth. That is why those yellow eyes of yours could see me. Cherish what you find, for it is what defines you." As the blizzard continued, Dapplefrond disappeared into it.

"G'morning Cloudchaser!" Branchkit called to him from a higher nest in the Great Tree. Cloudchaser had slept in far later than he had liked. He was exhausted by the confusing morning he had had earlier. "I see you StormClan cats like to sleep in." _Now he'll think our clan is a bunch of late sleepers!_ "It's okay, I guess yesterday was pretty exhausting," Cloudchaser was thankful for his understanding. In a flash, they both leaped from the tree and next to the freshkill pile. He noticed Dapplefrond watching him from high in the tree, the senior warriors ignoring her completely.

 _I guess she found a nest up there to sleep in._ Cloudstar was struck with pangs of sadness coming from within him. He felt lost and alone knowing that his mother would never be able to be a normal cat in the clan. When he had finished watching his mother, Cloudchaser picked out a juice thrush and laid it on the ground between him and Branchkit. Branchkit nodded his thanks and took a large mouthful of the thrush. As Cloudchaser bit into his breakfast, he couldn't help but long for his mother to be happy.

"I'm going to take this shrew up to er- the senior warriors! So I will be gone a bit." Cloudchaser blinked at Branchkit and took off, not waiting for his response. As he climbed up into the confusing thicket of branches and brambles, he realized that the tree wasn't only inside the camp walls; the 'Great Tree' was a combination of many trees! There were at least fifty trees around and inside the camp that bound together to create the Great Tree. When he reached the top floor of the Great Tree, he snuck behind a hedge tangled up with the branches and entered a small hollow. It looked like it had belonged to an owl at one point, but it was now his mother's den.

"Thank you Cloudstar," Dapplefrond mumbled, a mouthful of shrew clouding her words. Cloudchaser wondered if she would ever learn to stop calling him a leader. "Dapplefrond, I told you that I'm not a leader!" Dapplefrond nodded.

"I know you did. But that won't stop me from calling you by your true name." Cloudchaser was beginning to feel anger clawing at his stomach. "I am not a leader!" Cloudchaser could barely hold himself back from leaping at his mother and attacking.

"Not of any clan you know." Cloudchaser's heart sank. He knew that she had a lot more knowledge of the world than him, and he did not want to challenge her. "But… How will I get back to StormClan with the weather do bad?" Dapplefrond's eyes gleamed with an emotion Cloudstar had not yet encountered. It seemed to him as if she were distressed, but still knew it was going to be okay in the end. Like hoping, but with certainty. Cloudchaser shook his head as he tried to rid himself of these confusing thoughts.

"What do you mean? This blizzard is here for a reason. As long as you have unfinished business in TreeClan, you will stay with your brother."

Cloudchaser knew what his mother meant.

"I split you and Branchkit up and gave you to my best friends to take care of. I could not keep you with me, but I knew it was important that you all be cared for properly. It is my destiny to help you discover your powers and yourselves, and I will always be here for you." Dapplefrond's works struck Cloudchaser harder than any enemy ever had. But he knew that she was right.

After Cloudchaser had brought his mother freshkill and eaten a rabbit for himself, he settled down with Branchkit several fox lengths high into the Great Tree. They were so high, they could barely see the moving shapes of cats beneath them. They were out of earshot of all cats.

"So, I guess it's about time for you to leave." There was an awkward pause that came after Branchkit's remark. "Your clan needs you. I'm sure they have suffered greatly without your hunting expertise." _Branchkit's right_ , thought Cloudchaser. He was the best hunter in the whole clan- but how did Branchkit know that? As soon as he had opened his mouth to speak, Branchkit spoke up.

"You'd better get home before dark tonight," Branchkit meowed, "It's going to be a ruff night in the tree with the storms rolling in from the sun-drown place. It's supposed to be really windy up here, especially for a cat who's not used to sleeping in trees." Cloudchaser nodded. He climbed down from the tree, longing to tell Branchkit about their mother, and padded towards Oakstar's den.


End file.
